BURNOUT

[Bake@125]

I work for an 85 ofc. department. I have been off FTO for 7 months. I love this job a little more every day, I knew I would.
What I am seeking advice on is regarding something I hadn't ever considered. There are quite a number of ofc's with approx. 10 yrs on (+/-) who are the laziest sob's I have ever seen. they seem to believe that they are above cold burgs, criminal damages, civil matter's, etc... some of these ofc's will go to the extent of refusing to take calls while they sit at the station shootin' the breeze with 4 hours still left on duty.
I don't want to become like this, but I am quickly learning that each time I handle some cluster of a custody battle or take another report of a 2 week old burglary from a known doper, I lose a little enthusiasm myself.
To the point; are there any ofc's out there who can give the rooks some advice to help keep our motivation up over the long haul. I aspire to be an FTO someday and I would like to set a better example than some of my own FTO's.

[tcsd1236]

I think you have to make a concious effort to continue to hone your skills and techniques. You may be off FTO, but in many ways, you are still "in training". I would imagine there are still a lot of types of calls you have yet to handle, or have handled enough times to be comfortable while on them.
There is a well documented arc in LEO careers..you are in the initial phase; after that, I believe there are phases of career advancement, stalemate, disappointment and either burn out or renewal, depending on how you handle the arc of your career. I can't remember the source for that info.
At any rate, those 10 year guys are probably at the point where they've decided they're going to coast as much as possible. They've learned how to get away with the minimum amount of work, doing just enough to keep the brass off their back sides. They probably see having new guys like you handle the bulk of the labor-intensive or minor calls a fringe benefit of the seniority they've accumulated as well.
My advice is this; go in, do your job, continue to take classes and learn so that you dont become stale. The Calibre Press people talk about the 5% officers; those officers who are the top 5 % in performance and output. That means that in your entire agency, you might have 3 guys that fit that description. Make every effort to be that 5 %; you'll never change those other guys or break them out of their habits; thats the job of supervisors and administration types.

[Don]

I agree with tcsd on everything he posted to you. Every department has a few of these guys who will push off as much as they can. Some of them I

[DesertRat]

They are everywhere. You're still a little green yet to be able to put them in their place, but your time will come. I to am sick of some of the stupid stuff, but I still deal with it because it is my job and I'm getting a paycheck. Also, keep in mind HOW you deal with things.

We have an officer I'll call, "Why you doing all that?" because that was his response to every call he ever backed me on. His respose to everything was to write a misdemeanor citation. Two examples: I have a maid in a room at a local hotel. Guy walks up to her, never says anything, puts a hand on her mouth, then runs away when she begins to resist. This cop keeps saying, write him a site for DC, they'll never do anything to him anyway, it's time for lunch, etc etc. I III him find priors for sexual assault out of CA. Run him through my Reid interview ( I highly recommend that Reid school to everybody) and get a full confession that he was going to rape her and hoped she would just cooperate. He's doing 16 minimum for Battery with intent to commit. Case two, guy breaks into ex-wife's house, steals a bunch of stuff. This cop is telling same lines as before plus, it's a civil matter, he says it's really his house, come on etc. etc. Get a search warrant for where he lives because I can see some of the property (identifiable antiques) though an open window. He's doing minimum 2 for burglary. THAT is why I do all that! Unfortunately, in that particular assignment myself and two other officers were the only one's that did. I bailed out before it drove me crazy but I will be back there as a Sgt. some day. Things will change. You just need to remember, you are the one who has to live with your attitudes and choices.

[KenM]

I seem to remember a quote.... "Judge not, lest ye be judged".

I remember when I first got cut loose. There were 2 guys in particular that I thought were out of shape, lazy, good for nothings. Now after almost ten years and a stint in CID I see the light. There was a method in their madness.

Experience in how the laws are interpreted and applied in your area have a LOT to do with what kind of calls I'll get involved in and what steps I take. No more running and gunning, trying to shag as many calls as I can. Now I do my 12 and go home. I learned to pick my battles wisely.

Best advice is just to do your job and don't worry about the other guys. In a few years you might look back and think "OH! That's why they did it like that."

Then again you might look back and say "Those guys were some lazy SOB's." http://www.officer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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"Trust me. I'm from the government, I'm here to help."

[Bake@125]

KenM; Thanks for the reply. I must inflict controversy, though.
As DeserRat put it, I'm still a bit green to put officers I think are lazy in their place.
I live by the modecum: If you point your finger at someone else, theres three pointing back at you...
I must ask this: As a patrol officer, how can you choose which calls you'll get involved in? If a citizen calls with a reqeust for service from their poice department, someone will have to go to that call for service, right? If not you, then some rookie like me will have to forgoe some needed followup when their Sgt. gracefully tells them that there's a verbal DV that's been holding since dayshift, nobody "wanted it." And the idea of forgetting about the other guys kills me. I know I'm naive yet, but I was a USMC infantryman before I became a cop and I can't even say forget them out loud without wanting to wash my mouth out with soap. To your credit, and with all due respect to your long tenure as a cop, I respect your opinion and I am not going to say that won't be me in 10 years. I also didn't provide enough information in my original post to clearly define the source of my irritation. I am in a stage of my career where I still believe that everyone else has the same disciplined unit mentality that I can't let go of. From City/County Attorney's to the seasoned veteran who thinks that I live to take the calls he doesn't want, I am becoming disillusioned, and I know that, it's just that it's a painful process. Thanks to all who have replied thus far, GREAT ADVICE!

[KenM]

I don't know if I can really explain myself in type, but here goes....

Your verbal DV. I assume you mean an argument in a domestic disturbance, no blows exchanged and no threats to do imminent harm. Why get involved? Do you have any authority here? In my state (Texas) you do not. End of story. I tell them goodbye, keep it down so you won't disturb the neighbors and have a nice day. Call me if you need me. 99.9% of these can be handled by phone.

Civil problems. Usually involve property and the caller wanting the police to act as a judge and distribute the property to who they think "owns" it. Again, unless you are a judge or a jury you can't do it. Why get involved here? If you even interfere with someone's property and they are deprived of it (even for a short time) you can be sued or even accused as a party in a theft.

I don't think I can explain those any better.

After a while, when you see the wheelin' and dealin' behind the scenes when you file your cases you'll get a better understanding of why some officers may file a lesser charge when the elements of a greater crime are met. In my county it is more desireable to file a misdemeanor charge through our county atty than it is to file a felony through our district atty. There's less chance of the CA dropping your case or going for some petty plea agreement.

IMHO we (the police) get involved in a lot of things we have no business intruding in. A lot of that is due to Admin wanting to please everyone and not putting their foot down and explaining that we are police. Not social workers, judges, marriage counselors or anything else. Sometimes it is our fault for overstepping our bounds. I try to stay within mine. I know my general orders, the code of criminal procedure and state laws and I follow them. In short, what someone "wants" doesn't matter. What I can do I will, what I can't I stay out of.

My quote was not directed at you. Just sound advice. I still say do your job and don't worry about what the other guys do. If someone is sluffing calls go to a supervisor. That is what they are there for. Tenure and seniority do not give anyone the right to pass their work to someone else.


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"Trust me. I'm from the government, I'm here to help."

[me again]

I saw a lot of "words of wisdom" in this thread:

Originally posted by tcsd1236:
There is a well documented arc in LEO careers..you are in the initial phase; after that, I believe there are phases of career advancement, stalemate, disappointment and either burn out or renewal, depending on how you handle the arc of your career..

Originally posted by DesertRat:
They are everywhere. You're still a little green yet to be able to put them in their place, but your time will come.


Originally posted by KenM:
I remember when I first got cut loose. There were 2 guys in particular that I thought were out of shape, lazy, good for nothings. Now after almost ten years and a stint in CID I see the light. There was a method in their madness.

I learned to pick my battles wisely.

In a few years you might look back and think "OH! That's why they did it like that."


Originally posted by BAKE@125:
I live by the modecum: If you point your finger at someone else, theres three pointing back at you...

I must ask this: As a patrol officer, how can you choose which calls you'll get involved in?

I am in a stage of my career where I still believe that everyone else has the same disciplined unit mentality that I can't let go of. I am becoming disillusioned, and I know that, its a painful process. Eventually, you'll become a salty, seasoned cop. It can be a painful process, but the end result is that you'll know (from experience) how to choose which calls you'll get involved in.

[Dukeboy01]

Give it time. A few B.S. complaints in your file, some bent sheet metal on the old Crown Vic, and the realization that some people in your department will never have to do anything to be given favored positions while you work your @$$ off and get jack squat, and you'll be a lazy S.O.B. too.

Throw in supervisors who are obsessed with covering their rearends, some upper level administrators scared to death that the Federal Guvmint is going to take over your department through a consent decree, and a city council that feels compelled to pay the garbagemen more than you, and you'll quickly learn all the hiding spots in your beat.

Question: If you drive 90mph to every call, hop out with every lowlife you see, make two dozen arrests every month, and write 500 tickets a week, what will happen? They'll call you "Officer X" and pay you every two weeks. If you just answer your dispatched calls and make sure your paperwork is neat and accurate, they'll still call you "Officer X" and pay you every two weeks.

Listen to the old heads, for they are wise, and have been there and done that. Learn from their mistakes.